Like this:

mgpc has a meeting on the Thursday night before Good Friday.
For the last few years I have used an order of service from Terry Johnson’s ‘Leading In Worship’.
The service is styled ‘The Good Friday or Easter Service Of Lessons & Psalms’ after the traditional ‘Readings & Carols’ service of Christmas. I’ve never used it on Friday, but find it suits Thursday evening.
During the service we alternate between New Testament readings relating events from the Lord Jesus’ betrayal to ascension and singing Psalms which foretell the same events of which we have just read.
The simplicity of the liturgy contrasts with the profound significance of the atoning work of Jesus. It also demonstrates the extraordinary way in which God’s promises toward us were foretold in the Psalms.
I don’t preach. I pray at appropriate points.
Here’s the order, complete with the words of the Psalms we sing. We use well known tunes, selected for their suitability for the words of the Psalm.

First Lesson: John 13: 12 – 30 ‘Betrayal’ – He that eateth my bread lifted up his hand against me.
Psalm 41:7 – 10
All those who hate me whisper ill,
Against me harm devise.
“Some evil holds him fast,” they say,
“Brought down he will not rise.”
And even my familiar friend
In whom my trust was real,
The one who ate my bread, has turned
And lifted up his heel.
But You, O LORD, be merciful
And raise me in Your grace;
And then a recompense complete
Upon them I will place.

Bible Reading John 15: 18 – 27 ‘Rejection’ They hated me without a cause.
Psalm 35:19 – 21
Let not my wrongful enemies
Raise over me their joyful cries,
Nor those whose hate I merit not
With secret scorning wink their eyes.
They speak not peace; deceit they plot
Against the men of peaceful mien;
They open wide their mouth at me
And say, “Aha! Our eyes have seen!”

Bible Reading John 18: 28 – 19: 15 ‘Trial’ Away with Him, away with Him. Crucify Him!
Bible Reading Matthew 27: 24 – 34 ‘Mocking’ They gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall.
Psalm 69:17 – 21
Ne’er from Thy servant hid Thy face;
I’m pressed; soon answer me.
Draw near to me; redeem my soul;
My foes come; ransom me.
Well known to Thee is my reproach,
My shame and my disgrace;
The adversaries of my soul
Are all before thy face.
My heart is broken by reproach,
And I am sick and weak.
I never find the sympathy
And comforters I seek.
They also gave me bitter gall
In all the food I ate;
They gave me vinegar to drink
The time my thirst was great.

Bible Reading John 19: 17 – 24 ‘Crucifixion’ They divided my outer garments among them, and for My clothing cast lots.
Psalm 22:13 – 18
Their lion jaws they open wide,
And roar to tear their prey.
My heart is wax, my bones unknot,
My life is poured away.
My strength is only broken clay;
My mouth and tongue are dry,
For in the very dust of death
You there make me to lie.
For see how dogs encircle me!
On every side there stands
A brotherhood of cruelty,
They pierce my feet and hands.
My bones are plain for me to count;
Men see me and they stare.
My clothes among them they divide,
And gamble for their share.

Bible Reading Matthew 27: 35 – 44 ‘Insults’ He trusts in God; let Him deliver Him.
Psalm 22:6 – 8
But as for me, I am a worm
And not a man at all,
To men I am despised and base;
Their scornings on me fall.
All those who look at me will laugh.
And cast reproach at me.
Their mouths they open wide: they wag
Their heads in mockery.
“The LORD was his reliance once;
Now see what God will send
Yes, let god rise and set him free,
This man that was His friend.”

Bible Reading Matthew 27: 45 – 49 ‘Darkness’ My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
Psalm 22:1 – 3
My God, my God, O why have You
Forsaken me? O why
Are You so far from giving help
And from my groaning cry?
By day and night, my God, I call;
Your answer still delays.
And yet You are the Holy One
Who dwells in Israel’s praise.

Bible Reading John 19: 28 – 37 ‘Death’ Not a bone of Him shall be broken.
Psalm 34:15 – 20
Jehovah’s eyes are toward the righteous ones;
His ears are open to their every cry.
The Lord’s face is against all evil men
To cut off memory of them from earth.
The righteous cry; Jehovah hears and saves;
From all their troubles He delivers them.
The Lord is near to every broken heart,
And those who are in spirit crushed He saves.
Though many are the trials of the just,
The Lord delivers him from every one.
For He is safely keeping all his bones;
Not one of them can ever broken be.

Bible Reading Acts 2: 22 – 32 ‘Resurrection’ Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow thy Holy One to undergo decay.
Psalm 16:8 – 11
I always keep the Lord
Before me, Him to see.
Because He is at my right hand
I never moved shall be.
Thus gladness fills my soul;
My joy must be expressed
With my whole being, for my flesh
Securely finds its rest.
My soul You will not leave
In death’s dark pit to be.
Corruption You will not permit
Your Holy One to see.
The path of life You’ll show;
Of joy You hold great store.
Before Your face, at Your right hand,
Are pleasures evermore.

Bible Reading Acts 2: 33 – 36 ‘Ascension’ The Lord said to my Lord, “sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.”
Psalm 110:1 – 7
Jehovah to my Lord has said,
“Sit Thou at My right hand
Until I make Thy foes a stool
Whereon Thy feet may stand.”
Jehovah shall from Zion send
The scepter of Thy power.
In battle with Thine enemies
Be Thou the conqueror.
A willing people in Thy day
Of power shall come to Thee.
Thy youth arrayed in holiness
Like morning dew shall be.
Jehovah swore, and from His oath
He never will depart;
“Of th’ order of Melchizedek
A priest Thou ever art.”
The Lord at Thy right had shall smite
Earth’s rulers in His wrath.
Among the nations He shall judge;
The slain shall fill His path.
In many lands He’ll overthrow
Their kings with ruin dread;
And, marching, He’ll drink from the brook
And so lift up His head.

Like this:

With the interest in John Piper’s upcoming sabbatical, here is a post from the First Things blog by Matthew Lee Anderson which points out the positive nature of such times.

Simultaneously, the leaders of Richview, a Fellowship Baptist Church in Toronto, Canada, announced that they were granting their pastor, Daryl Dash a three month sabbatical. The leaders outline the purposes which they anticipate this time will acheive. Dash explains his perspective on sabbaticals here on his blog. While rest from normal duties is part of the aim, it is not so much vacation as a three month period in which spiritual disciplines of refreshment can be pursued.

A sabbatical in this sense is not a holiday. It is a mutually agreed period of time when normal responsibilities are laid aside. But the activities which are undertaken during this season will serve to refresh and renew the pastor for the work to which he will return.

In the context of Australian Presbyterianism, pastors are well cared for with regard to the provision of time away from pastoral duties. We received four weeks annual leave (five in Victoria) and also are granted twelve weeks long service leave every ten years. I don’t think US pastors would have that level of leave provided for. I don’t think many pastors working for independent churches in Australia would receive that level of provision.
But there are problems.
When people ask me if I’m a bit weary, I admit that I am, but always point out that I have a lot of accumulated annual and long-service leave.
I’m not burned out or overworked, I’m stupid. There’s a difference.
Part of our accountability with our churches should be to use our leave.
If we don’t use our long service leave within a reasonable time frame, we should lose it.
No-one who retires should have six to nine months of LSL to use.
There may be seasons when the pastor’s presence is needed for extended times. But churches should know that sooner or later they will receive diminishing returns from their pastor’s continuing presence.

There isn’t a culture of intentional sabbatical. Some are using their LSL to participate in short term mission or to engage in some form of reflective study. I’m not aware of any specifically offered personal spiritual development which someone could undertake during such a time. It would be helpful for pastors and their eldership teams to believe some form of intentional and accountable spiritual development is essential.

I can write this because both of the parishes in which I served were and are very, very generous with their support of me in this regard. Back in Mordialloc when I returned from leave to conduct a funeral they credited me with a whole replacement week of leave. Mount Gambier has paid my way to attend Preaching Conferences in Sydney. The care and concern that is shown to me continues to challenge me about the need for intentional self care.

At the moment, I don’t need a sabbatical, what I need to do is use my leave.
But sabbaticals should be part of ongoing pastoral formation.

Like this:

This is from Scandalous. The paragraph is not really a central point Carson is making, but is an example of one among many causes of doubt.

Doubt may be fostered by sleep deprivation.
If you keep burning the candle at both ends, sooner or later you will indulge in more and more mean cynicism – and the line between cynicism and doubt is a ver thin one. Of course, different individuals require different numbers of hours of sleep; moreover, some cope with a bit of tiredness better than others. Nevertheless, if you are among those who become nasty, cynical, or even full of doubt when you are missing your sleep, you are morally obligated to get the sleep you need. We are whole complicated beings: our physical existence is tied to our spiritual well-being, to our mental outlook, to our relationships with others, including our relationship with God. Sometimes the godliest thing you can do in the universe is get a good night’s sleep – not pray all night, but sleep. I’m certainly not denying that there may be a place for praying all night: I’m merely insisting that in the normal course of things, spiritual discipline obligates you to get the sleep your body needs.

Scandalous, Crossway Publishers 2010, pg 147.

My worst periods of pessimism, negativity and cynicism come when I’m tired.
I’ve got to be very careful about what I say (and type) later at night.
It also makes me wonder about the wisdom of conducting church leadership meetings after the leadership have had long and tiring days at work.